A Change of Heart
by The Bl4ckbird
Summary: AS/S Scorpius Malfoy and Albus Potter have never really gotten along, but when they meet outside of Hogwarts they see a different side of each other and their feelings begin to change.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Harry Potter.

* * *

'If I have to stand one more hour of polite chit-chat, I am going to strangle myself with a mistletoe' Albus thought to himself.

It was Christmas eve at the burrow and the house was filled with Weasley relatives and family friends.

Albus was trapped on the livingroom sofa between his honorary brother Teddy and his uncle Percy, better known as the most boring wizard on earth. And since Teddy was practically dry humping his girlfriend Victoire next to him and just looking at them made Albus want to throw up, he was forced to listen to uncle Percy's uneventful office stories, while his grandmother dropped by every few minutes to stuff him with more food.

He could hear his brother and his uncle Ron argue loudly about Quidditch, while his niece Rose was showing off her newly mastered patronus charm in front of her mother's colleagues. Just as his uncle was explaining the different filing systems at the ministry of magic, his cousin Fred managed to get everyone's attention by blowing up the Christmas tree. Albus took advantage of the distraction and made a run for it.

For Albus, holidays were always like this: the house chockfull of people he barely knew and never spoke to, while he tried to hide from the chaos.

It were times like these that he missed Hogwarts the most. He loved his family, he really did. But he was never as comfortable in large crowds as he was on his own and he always felt the need to escape these big family gatherings.

He seemed to be the only one in his family with this problem though. His older brother James reveled in attention, not only at home but also at school. And although he was a bully and an arrogant prick, his charm and his outgoing nature made him quite popular among the students at Hogwarts.

His little sister Lily, while less conceited than James, was also a social butterfly. With her short, fiery red hair and her sassy personality she was a true Weasley and she was never short of admirers.

Albus was the only one who did not live up to the hype of being the child of 'the Chosen One'. He wasn't as outgoing as his siblings and he certainly did not like attention that came with being a Potter.

He almost felt guilty for feeling like a stranger among his own family. His father always said that family is one of the most valuable things in life.

xx

It was one of those situations in which the silence was so uncomfortable, that every cough and sight drew the attention of all the people present. Scorpius felt anxious, he desperately wanted to break the tension but he didn't know how. The conversation at dinner had dried up earlier, after a short talk about Scorpius' grades and Quidditch matches.

Besides the usual chit-chat there simply wasn't anything to talk about. Or actually, there was a lot to talk about, such as the money problems his father tried to hide and the amount of liquor his mother consumed a day. But the strict Malfoy-etiquette forbade talking about these sensitive subjects.

So for Scorpius Christmas was an evening of pretending, pretending that he did not see the bags under his father's eyes or couldn't smell the liquor on his mother's breath. But he was used to that, it was part of the Malfoy customs and traditions he was raised with.

'Lucius, could you pass me the wine, please?'

If possible, the tension grew even higher. Scorpius glanced at his parents, they both stopped eating. He then looked up at his grandmother who was seated next to him. She stared back at Scorpius with an inquiring look. He put his fork down and gently took hold of her hand.

'Narcissa, I am Scorpius, your grandson. Lucius is not with us anymore.'

For a moment his grandmother seemed confused, but she quickly regained her composure.

'I know that, forgive me sweetheart, you resemble him so much.'

Scorpius smiled and squeezed her hand reassuringly. It wasn't the first this had happened. Still he had no trouble pretending like his grandmother's forgetfulness wasn't a big deal. After all, pretending was something he had a lot of practice with.

xx

Scorpius felt tears prickling in his eyes, they blurred his vision as he stared at the unpaid bills in his hands. 'Malfoy's don't cry' He heard his grandfather's portrait say. Scorpius seated himself in his father's armchair and took a deep breath. He glanced at the family portraits on the wall, what would his ancestors say if they knew that the Malfoy's were about to lose the house their family had lived in for centuries?

He hadn't realized it was this bad. His father never really talked about money, he never really talked about anything. Scorpius knew his family didn't have a lot of money, there were always owls flying around the house carrying letters about debts that had to be paid. But these bills, carefully tucked away in the bottom drawer of his father's desk, were new to him.

Scorpius clenched his fists, the thought that his father tried to hide this from him made him angry. He was sixteen, almost an adult now and he had the right to know.

He felt the weight of responsibility on his shoulders. Who else but him was going to solve this? Father was always gone and when he was at home it still felt like he was miles away. Mother was too fragile to handle any more problems. She usually locked herself up in her room and during the infrequent moments that she did leave her room, it was obvious she had been drinking.

It wasn't always this bad, he used to have his grandmother to guide him. She practically raised him and he loved her like a mother. But she was getting old and he did not want to burden her with these problems. It would disappoint her, because it was his duty to restore the family name and he could not disappoint her.

The young Malfoy straightened his back and looked around his father's well decorated office. He knew what he had to do, but his father would not appreciate it.

xx

The next day Albus saw a chance to escape the family turmoil. It was cold outside and already getting darker but Albus still enjoyed these rare moments of peace en quiet. Albus wrapped his Gryffindor scarf more tightly around his neck. He figured he would just walk around diagon alley for a bit. Even though the streets were empty and the stores were closed Albus liked to stroll around and look at the window displays.

After a few minutes of wandering he saw another person walking through the vacant streets. He looked a bit more closely and recognized the person as Scorpius Malfoy.

This made Albus curious. Why would someone walk through these streets alone, at this hour? Unless they were trying to avoid family of course.

Maybe it was because of boredom or maybe because of unhealthy curiosity but Albus decided to follow him. He made sure he stayed in the shadows so Malfoy wouldn't notice he was being followed.

Soon Albus discovered that Malfoy was heading towards Knockturn Alley.

The longer he followed, the more the surroundings began to change. The buildings were darker, the streets were poorly lit and what really scared him was that he saw the dark mark painted on a wall.

It was odd for someone like Scorpius to hang around in these kinds of neighborhoods. Because even though the Malfoy name was still associated with bad things, Scorpius did not contribute to that stigma. They weren't friends or anything, but Albus knew Scorpius was a good student and despite of his moody behavior people seemed to like him. Except James of course, he hated Scorpius for no reason.

But Albus didn't hate Scorpius, which did not mean he liked him though. Albus thought Scorpius Malfoy was kind of a prat and a bit stuck-up.

Soon, Malfoy arrived at an old and sinister looking store. He stood still to check his surroundings, but he didn't see Albus who was hiding in a shaded alley. When Scorpius entered the building, Albus stepped out of the shades and saw that the store Malfoy had entered was Borgin and Burkes.

Sounds of footsteps came from the alley behind him, but Albus was too absorbed in thought to notice them. There was a flash of light, a force that struck him down and a shooting pain in his head. It was only when he was lying face down on the pavement that he realized he had been attacked with a Flipendo spell. And even though he was pretty good at dueling, the attack came as such a surprise that he just didn't have the time to defend himself.

He tilted his head to look at his attacker. He saw a stranger with greasy dark brown hair and grubby clothes pointing a wand at him.

'Well, aren't I a lucky one, It's not every day that I'm in the presence of such a celebrity' The man sneered with a malicious grin that revealed his crooked teeth.

Still on the ground, Albus searched for his wand, which he had dropped it in his fall. However, it was just out of reach. He tried to stand up but was hit with another spell and unable to move. His attacker chuckled uncontrollably and Albus closed his eyes silently praying for help.

'Stupefy!'

Albus opened his eyes and saw his attacker get hit with a jet of red light. Completely paralyzed the man collapsed on the ground. Albus looked up at the person who saved him, Scorpius Malfoy. Albus stood up with some difficulty while Scorpius picked something of the ground. He walked towards Albus and silently handed him his wand.

'Err… thanks'

Scorpius didn't respond and started walking, not paying any attention to the paralyzed body on the street. Albus tried to catch up.

'I mean it, thank you! I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't been there but-'

'Are you mental?' Scorpius asked so seriously that Albus didn't know what to answer.

'Have you lost your mind? Why would you wander around in a neighborhood like this, on your own, at this hour? '

Albus forgot his gratitude and felt a burst of annoyance. 'What about you?! You're the one who's mysteriously sneaking around shops of known ex-deatheaters!'

Scorpius stiffened and his silver eyes stared fiercely at Albus. 'Were you following me?'

Again Albus was in a loss for words. He ran his fingers through his hair while thinking of something to say, but then he felt something wet drip along his temple. He looked at his hand and saw it was blood.

Malfoy attitude softened for a moment.

'You're hurt'

'It's probably nothing' Albus answered carelessly while touching his head wound.

Scorpius rolled his eyes and roughly grabbed Albus wrist. 'Come' he snarled and he dragged Albus to a ragged bench on the side of the road.

'What are you doing?' Albus asked nervously while he sat down on the bench and watched Scorpius take out his wand.

'Don't worry I'm good at this'

But Albus was still worried. One of his uncle's most frequent unsolicited advices was: 'Never trust a Malfoy', so he figured the same went for a Malfoy who was pointing his wand at your head.

Albus shivered when he felt Scorpius smooth fingers push away the hair that was covering his temple. He heard Scorpius mumble a spell and immediately felt the pain lessen. A minute later when Scorpius was done, he touched his head and noticed the wound was gone.

'Err.. Thank you'

A small nod was Scorpius' reply.

Albus didn't know what else to say and felt slightly uncomfortable. Scorpius on the other hand didn't seem to be bothered. He visibly relaxed himself and sat down more comfortably on the bench while staring vacantly in front of him.

'What were you actually doing at Borgin and Burkes?' Albus asked carefully. He didn't want to make Scorpius angry but at the same time he was too curious to refrain from asking.

Scorpius did not get angry. He let out a sight and replied: 'Wasting my time'.

Albus studied him thoroughly and for the first time this evening he noticed how exhausted Malfoy looked. Dark rings framed his silver eyes and his skin looked paler than usual. He knew Scorpius Malfoy as a reserved person, as someone who is always collected and so unaffected by others that you would think he did not have any feelings at all. But he did not recognise that indifference in the boy seated next to him. The Scorpius Malfoy that was gazing at the sky, absorbed in thought, looked defeated and lost.

'Are you okay?'

The question appeared to interrupt Scorpius' thoughts. He turned his head towards Albus and watched him with a mix of confusion and astonishment. He then averted his eyes without answering the question and carried on staring into the distance. Albus opened his mouth to say something but closed it when he saw how Scorpius' eyes were filling with tears. In an impulse Albus laid his hand on Scorpius back in an attempt to comfort him while the Malfoy was quietly sobbing. A few minutes they sat like this, Scorpius crying for unknown reasons and Albus rubbing soothing circles on his back. It wasn't until Scorpius started to wipe away his tears that Albus realized the absurdity of the situation. Slightly embarrassed he removed his hand. Scorpius had stopped crying but his eyes were still red.

'I'm sorry' Scorpius said with a soft voice, still broken from the crying.

He got up and grabbed a broom out of his bag, which was evidently expanded with an undetectable extension charm.

'Could you… maybe… keep this to yourself when we're back at Hogwarts?'

Albus nodded understandingly 'Of course, you have my word. Besides, you saved my life so it's the least I can do.'

'Try to stay out of trouble' was Scorpius' stern reply. He got on his broom and flew away.

Albus let out a sight as he watched Scorpius disappear into the hazy sky.

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**Hello everyone! This is the first story I have ever written, I feel really self-conscious about it and English is not my first language. So I would really appreciate it if you would share any constructive comments, or advices you have. I'm a bit worried about my grammar and the flow of the story, so if anything seems a bit off, please let me know!**


	2. Chapter 2

Quiet as a mouse, Albus slowly closed the door behind him. He tried to muffle the sound of his breathing while tiptoeing through the hall. When he made it past his parents' bedroom he let out a heavy sight. He was almost there, he only had to climb the stairs and get past his sisters' room without waking her and then he would be safe.

He held his breath as he crept up the stairs. He smiled in relief when he arrived at the top. The cracking sounds hadn't woken anyone so getting past his sisters room would be a piece of cake. But then he saw It.

It being the most vicious kneazel on the planet. Lily had adopted the monster a few years ago when they found it in the yard contently gobbling the remains of Albus' rat.

It was grinning wickedly at him, Albus got on his knees and tried to hush the thing. But the malevolent animal ignored his pleadings and produced a shrill meow.

Albus knew he was dead.

'ALBUS SEVERUS POTTER, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?'

Even in her nightgown his mother looked intimidating. Albus walked down the stairs and opened his mouth to plead his innocence but was immediately cut off.

'WHY IS THERE BLOOD ON YOUR SHIRT?' she grabbed his face to examine him more closely.

'MUM! I'm fine!' He tried to argue, but he was smothered by his mother's air tight hug.

The bedroom door opened and his father stepped into the hall.

'What is going on here?'

'Dad, I'm sorry I-'

'Is that blood on your shirt?' His father's worried voice interrupted Albus' second attempt to explain.

'I can explain I-'

'Did someone hurt you?'

He then heard the sleepy voice of his brother. 'Why is everyone awake?' James appeared at the top of the stairs accompanied by Lily who was looking curiously at the spectacle in the hall.

'Is Al okay?'

Albus closed his eyes and took a deep breath while he let his family make a fuss. This was going to be a long night.

xx

With a thud Scorpius landed on the gravel path of Malfoy estate. In a high pace he marched towards the door and before he was able to knock they were swayed open by his favourite house-elf, Libby.

She had been with the Malfoy's since Scorpius was a baby and he especially liked her because she had a bubbly personality and was unusually chatty for a house-elf. But not today though, his foul mood must have shown on his face because she nodded her head as a form of greeting but made no attempt to engage in small talk.

His footsteps echoed through the vacant entrance-hall, he didn't bother being quiet, mother never left her room anyways and father wasn't even at home.

He entered his room and slammed the door closed. He then started to pace up and down the room. Scorpius was distressed. His plan to gather enough money to pay off the debts had failed. His idea was to sell some of the family antiques, but when he set foot into Borgin and Burkes the owner had loudly declared that Malfoy's weren't welcome there. It seemed that even amongst death eaters, the Malfoy's were considered traitors. He had to think of another way to get the money.

And as if that wasn't bad enough he had have a mental breakdown in front of a Potter. What a complete idiot, that Potter-boy. Prancing around death eater territory with that fucking Gryffindor scarf. It was like he wanted to get attacked or abducted.

Scorpius pretty much loathed Albus Potter. He wasn't a bully like his older brother James but in some ways he was even worse. At school people seemed to like him, for some reason they thought he was nice. But Scorpius knew better.

He saw how guilty Albus looked when he watched his brother make fun of people but he was too much of a coward to say something about it. He was so spineless, either letting his brother dictate his life or being bossed around by that Weasley girl. He was always hiding behind his brother or another one of his crazy family members that infested the school.

The teachers loved him of course, always telling him how much he looked like his heroic father and even though his grades were just average he could get away with anything.

And if Scorpius didn't already hate him for being a coward and a teacher's pet it would be because of his Quidditch skills. He didn't like to admit it but Albus Potter was actually a pretty decent seeker.

Come to think of it, he really should have let Potter die in that alley. At least Slytherin would have had a shot at winning the Cup.

xx

It took Albus two hours to calm his parents down.

His mother was hysterical while his father just kept going on about the blood and he was pretty sure his brother and sister were eavesdropping on the entire conversation. But eventually he was able to explain the situation without too many interruptions.

He'd thought about telling them the truth, it was hardly his fault that some wanker with a grudge against Potters had tried to kill him, but he decided not to. His parents tended to go a bit overboard in protecting him, especially his father. Which Albus thought was surprising considering the fact that when his father was his age he had battled murderous death eaters and dangerous magical creatures of all sorts. But somehow if Albus did something like trip over a rock, it was enough to give his father a panic attack.

He knew that if he told the real story about the attack, his father would lock him up in the house or even worse, he would order James to keep an eye on him at school.

So instead Albus told his mother and father that he wanted to go for a late night fly and somehow crashed his broom into the bushes. It was unoriginal and badly improvised but since he never really got into trouble they had no reason to doubt him.

He did feel guilty for a minute when his mother praised him for healing himself. But how else was he going to explain his healed wound? If he told them he ran into Scorpius Malfoy it would raise too many questions.

The Malfoy's were generally disliked because of their actions during the war, but his father truly hated them. He and Draco Malfoy already hated each other in school and his job as an auror probably didn't make things better. It was his father's job to bring death eaters to justice and he was quite obsessive about it.

Therefore, running in to the son of his father's arch nemesis was a detail he'd rather leave out.

xx

'Mother!' Scorpius was knocking on his mother's bedroom door.

…

'Mother, I'm leaving!'

…

'I'm leaving and I won't be home until summer, so it would be nice if you came out and said goodbye…'

Saying goodbye was actually something Scorpius dreaded. He didn't mind saying goodbye to his father, especially in this case, because his father had to leave early for work the farewell consisted of a simple note saying 'Have a good time at school'. Saying goodbye to his grandmother wasn't that hard either. Narcissa wasn't that emotional, she usually just gave him a hug and whispered some advice like 'don't get any girls pregnant'. But saying goodbye to his mother was always more difficult.

The door opened and his mother finally appeared. Her brown hair was tousled, she was still wearing her robe and she smelled like gin and expensive perfume.

'You're leaving already? So soon…'

When he hugged her and she stroked his hair he felt like a kid again, but now he was a lot taller and stronger while she only seemed to get smaller. It was difficult to leave her because he was worried about what would happen if he wasn't there to take care of her.

'Is your father taking you to the train station?'

'No, he's at work. I'll just Apparate with Libby.'

His mother shot him a disapproving look. 'Apparating with lower magical creatures? Quite indecent.'

Scorpius smiled, 'Mother, please keep up with the times. It's rude to call her that.'

He did not agree with her old-fashioned beliefs, nowadays it was considered very discriminating. But he was pleased to see that inside she was still the pride pure-blood woman she had always been.

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**Thanks for the reviews, I really appreciate it! I'll try to update soon, but I don't write my chapters chronologically so I can't make any promises. And I know this chapter is a bit short, sorry about that! **


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